When I decided to ride the TdT again this year I was feeling pretty ambitious. I thought if I could ride 65 miles in 2024 why not ride 70 miles in 2025?
So I trained for it. And my training went pretty well, up until the very end. I got a new bike, a Specialized Diverge, which is a gravel bike. It’s a step up from the Sirrus. I can go faster on it and it handles beautifully, cornering and taking curves with ease. The Sirrus would start to shake at higher speeds but the Diverge never does. The one change I made to its set-up was changing out the tires for lighter less nobby ones since I have no intention of using it as a true gravel bike. It’s as close to a road bike as I’m ever going to get.
A couple weeks before I did one final training ride that was about 56 miles. The day I rode was very warm, with a high of 89. I was ok until the last 10 miles, but then my knees started to hurt and I actually got dizzy on one of my last climbs. At that point I was pretty sure I’d would not do 70 miles. But just to be sure I checked out the recommended route from my house to Clear Springs Elementary where the 58 and 100 mile routes begin. The route recommended by Strava was very hilly and if I stayed on the rail trail most of the way it was too long, so that was that.
The day of the TdT was beautiful. It started out a little chilly, in the upper 50’s, and ended in the lower 70’s. Unfortunately the smoke from the Canadian wildfires was still pervasive. Some people actually wore masks while they rode. Not me.
The 58 mile ride has 3 rest stops with snacks, water, Gatorade, bathrooms and music! The first part of the ride heads north on 101 and turns onto Lake Street Extension. It’s fun starting out with hundreds of riders, but I made sure to give the people in front of me plenty of room. Not everyone is careful; there are lots of young people at these distances and some of them are daredevils. After the first few miles everyone spreads out and it’s no longer a problem.
There are a few significant hills on this section. The first, and most notorious, are the two hills on Lake Street Extension. The first hill is shorter, but pretty steep. The second hill is longer, and steeper. It’s very intense for so early in the ride. I dread this hill all year, but it’s soon over, and it’s not that bad since my legs are fresh. And THEN you get to really fly down the other side! This is when I just love my new bike. I can confidently just let it go as fast as it wants!
There’s another hill on McGinty on the way to Wayzata. I always thinks its going to be bad, but its just long, and not that steep. After that the road turns toward Wayzata, our first little town. It’s early still so there are not a lot of people out, but it’s still fun to ride through it, along Lake Minnetonka. Then we turn right and go up the dreaded Ferndale hill, one of the longest and toughest hills on the course. I climb this hill a fair amount and I hate it. I was glad when it was over.
A couple more miles and we are in Orono, our first rest stop. We’ve gone about 13 miles at this point. There were lots of snacks; it was hard to decide what to eat. I had a mini Kind Bar and a little oatmeal apple thing. I was carrying lots of Huma gels and planned to have one around every 10 miles. They give me a boost of sugar, carbs and caffeine and help me a lot. But it’s nice to have snacks too!
We head out of Orono toward Delano. This is a pleasant part of the ride. Yes there are hills but nothing too intense. We head west on hwy 6 through Lyndale and then turn north on hwy 30. The Luce Line Regional Trail runs along the road. I’ve ridden parts of it but never this section. Someday!
Delano is so pretty; I love approaching this town. We pass through the little downtown and the rest area is in a park. We have gone about 30 miles.
This rest stop has good bathrooms, great music, picnic tables, and of course more snacks! The band was playing my sort of music, Neil Young, Led Zeppelin. They were pretty good too.
I try not to hang out too long at the rest stops. If I stop riding for too long I get stiff. So after around 10 minutes I got on my bike and headed out. After Delano the 100 mile riders split off from the 58 milers. From here we head south on hwys 16 and 27 toward Watertown. I was just here not too long ago on a Minnetonka Bike Club ride. Another pretty town along a river.
We continue south and west toward Mound. Miles 37 through 47 are the hardest part of this ride. It’s very hilly. It undulates, up and down and up and down. By this time I’m getting tired and I can’t attack the hills as well anymore. Entering Delano I was averaging over 14 mph, but now my average starts to fall. This part is a little boring too. I’m impatient to get to Mound, both for the snacks and because then there is only about 11 miles left.
Somewhere between Watertown and Mound the 40 mile riders join us, so there are more bikes on the road for a while, but not as many as you might think. I can never figure out if the majority of them are in front of us or behind us. They’re around us, somewhere!
The Mound rest stop always has some nice amenities. There’s a misting tent, and cold towels, but I didn’t need them this year. I get some Gatorade besides my snack and grabbed some rice krispie treats with sprinkles for the boys.
After Mound we get on the Dakota rail trail for a few miles. We enter the trail at Fairview Road and there is suddenly a VERY steep little hill. It’s around a corner so you can’t see it until you are on top of it. And of all places I screw up my gears right then! I made it, but it wasn’t pretty, tried to hit a volunteer in the process.
The rail trail is shady and flat, a nice break for a few miles. At Navarre we turn onto hwy 19 and now I’m in my home territory. I ride this road all the time, I know all its twists and turns and hills. There’s one ugly hill but after 55 miles it’s nothing.
We get on the Minnetonka Regional Trail and ride it into Excelsior. It’s the only gravel on this ride, flat and familiar. In previous years there has been another rest stop in Excelsior but they eliminated it this year. Just as well, last year I skipped it anyway.
The last part of the ride is different this year. Instead of taking us through Deephaven and up Lake Street (again!) to Tonkawood and around to Excelsior Blvd, they have us cross 7 at Market Street and ride on the access road back to the high school. It’s fine with me. Riding Lake Street twice was no fun, and neither was that steep hill up to 7 on Tonkawood Rd.
I had a very good time riding the TdT this year. I don’t know what I’ll do next year. Some of the bike clubs I belong to do 2 day rides on some of the trails around Minnesota outside the Twin Cities. Maybe I’ll do one of those next year!
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